The College of the Mainland Board of Trustees today voted unanimously to name Vice President of Instruction Dr. Amy Locklear as acting president to replace Interim President Dr. Larry Durrence.
The college originally hired Durrence to serve as interim following the resignation of previous COM President Dr. Michael Elam. Originally a six-month contract, the board has extended Durrence’s contract by 30-day increments for several months. Locklear will take over from Durrence effective at the end of today.
“While I’ve been happy to serve, there are things that require my presence back home,” Durrence said. Listen
The board is interviewing three finalists for the college’s next president this week, with a decision expected on Friday, Durrence said. Finalists for the position are Dr. Dale Doty, vice president for academic affairs at Florence-Darlington Technical College in Florence, S.C.; Dr. Ralph Ford, vice president of student services at Union County College in Cranford, N.J.; and Dr. Beth Lewis, vice president of academic affairs at Northeast Lakeview College in Universal City, Texas.
“My departure date doesn’t exactly line up with the new president coming on board, because in Texas, it’s kind of unusual, you have a 21-day waiting period,” Durrence said. “So once they make a decision Friday, they can’t actually execute a contract with the president for 21 days.”
Locklear will serve following Durrence until the new president takes the helm.
“She’s a very capable person,” Durrence said of Locklear. “She will keep things moving forward."